Good King Leonardo has found lots of fun new comic books on the That's Entertainment new issues shelves, so let's get right to reviewing four of them and see how they stack-up against each other: |
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Rob Williams: Writer
Trevor Hairsine: Art
Antonio Fabela: Colors
D.C. Comics has a new one-shot Madame
Xanadu comic book on the current issues
shelves. For the uninitiated, the good
Madame Xanadu has been a mystical
soothsayer and magic practitioner since
her DC universe debut back in the 1970's.
She began her life centuries ago as Nimue,
younger sister to the evil Morgan LeFey of
the Camelot legend. One of my favorite
versions of Madame Xanadu was the
2008-2011 Eisner-nominated title written
by Matt Wagner with art by Amy Reeder
Hadley, which nicely highlighted our
heroine's life experiences from her
Camelot days to the modern era. These
days, Madame Xanadu is a team player in
DC's Justice League Dark title. This
new one-shot Madame X comic book is
scripted by Rob Williams with art by
Trevor Hairsine and colors by Antonio
Fabela.
The storyline is entitled "A Voodoo
Zombie Mystery!" and presents a
reinterpretation of the standard Madame
Xanadu storyverse. Here, she's the former
Madame X who has fallen from grace and now
lives in New Orleans as Nima, eking-out a
living for a local law firm whose senior
partner values utilizing her soothsaying
powers for his client's cases. Our story
begins as a voodoo mystery; when a
prominent city councilor is murdered, the
law firm represents a local voodoo
priestess accused of the crime. Nima and
her law firm buddy Salinger follow an
investigative trail that includes credible
eyewitness accounts of a zombie committing
the murder. I won't be a spoiler and
reveal the murderer, but I will comment
that our pair of investigators follow a
trail lined with many occult twists, turns
and surprises before the true guilty party
is revealed. The one-shot storyline ends
on a very dramatic bridge to potential
future issues, as Nima receives a dramatic
vision of her partner Salinger shooting
her sometime in the future.
This Madame X comic book is a very
entertaining "what if?" reinterpretation
of the traditional Madame Xanadu
storyverse that succeeds for a few
reasons. First, I liked the "fallen
angel" concept of Madame X, with her
living as a down-and-out former
superbeing/celebrity, going from
nationally-renowned talk show
guest/soothsayer to quietly rebuilding her
life in a new town as a low-level staffer
at a law firm. The reason for her stumble
in life is also very relevent to today's
popular culture, as Madame X lost her
fortune in a lawsuit filed by a
billionaire who took offense to a Madame X
prediction on his fate. Secondly, the
creative team does a great job of
unfolding the plotline against the
occult/voodoo background of New Orleans.
Naturally, the whole Madame X character
concept fits perfectly with the spookiness
of this city and results in a colorful
story setting. And third, the murder
mystery element blends very nicely into
this story. The occult stuff aside, the
basic "whodunit" of the story is
well-masked in mystery and takes some nice
twists and turns to a satisfying reveal of
the guilty party.
Its clear from the dramatic nature of
the story's cliffhanger ending that the
creative team would like to see this
one-shot title continue as a multi-issue
story arc, if not a monthly regular comic
book title. Based on the high quality of
the plot, artwork and the fun
reinterpretation of our heroine's
traditional storyverse, Madame X deserves
her shot at a DC universe publishing
lifeline. So a thumbs-up positive review
recommendation is well-deserved for all
good DC readers to enjoy this one-shot
comic book. And here's hoping that
someone at DC throws Madame X that
publishing lifeline and hauls her to the
safety of some future issues of the occult
adventures of Nima/Madame X!
Publisher: Image Comics, Inc.
Brian Wood: Writer
Ming Doyle & Jordie Bellaire: Art
Image Comics recently published issue #1 of a six-issue limited comic series entitled Mara. As with many Image titles, this is a creator-owned project, with the creators being A-list writer Brian Wood and artists Ming Doyle and Jordie Bellaire. For the uninitiated, Brian Wood is an acclaimed comic book writer known for writing scripts and creating storyverses with strong characters and dialogue on par with non-comic book fiction such as high quality novels and television series. Among his many achievements is the award-winning and long-running DMZ comic book title. During the past year, I wrote a favorable review of his interesting science fiction eco-adventure comic book series entitled The Massive.
Issue #1 of Mara introduces the science fiction theme of this limited edition series. A futuristic, highly urbanized Earth society has evolved its obsessions with world-wide sports and military action/endless warring to unheard-of heights. The Number One celebrity in this environment is Mara, a 17-year-old teen who sits at the very top of this planetary frenzy as the world's best team volleyball star. Not much action occurs in this kick-off issue; instead, via detailed narrative and accompanying scenes, we learn the details of Mara's ultra sports celebrity life, with the entire world endlessly watching her every public move via world-wide television. The tale takes an unexpected turn in a concluding bridge to next month's issue, as Mara collapses during the live broadcast of one of her games and its discovered that she exhibited a weird power in which with Flash-like speed she had zoomed to the other side of the volleyball court and tapped the ball in the other team's field of play.
I'll get right to it: this is one bizarre stinkeroo of a comic book, for so many reasons. But for the sake of our sanity, I'll only comment on four basic flaws. First, the art is creepily primitive and mannequin-like, with everyone depicted with the same stiff, overserious facial expression in every single panel of the comic book. Secondly, the basic story concepts of this plot are illogical and ridiculous, even for the laid-back credibility of a fictionalized comic book reality. I just can't buy into for one comic book reading second the concept of the entire planet going gaga over team volleyball and having the entire planet's society in a constant hyper-excited state about it all. Third, the brief allusions to worldwide militarism being elevated to an equal pinnacle with the volleyball obsession are also weak and feel flat. And fourth, the reveal of Mara's Flash-like power is extremely confusing. Is she using her ultra-fast powers to zip around the court and tank her opponents volleyball shots, or what? Is she aware of her behavior or is it an involuntary subconscious action? From the poor presentation of this story scene, one just can't tell what exactly is going-on with this power.
Even more disappointing is the unpleasant realization that this poorly-executed concept came from the pen of Brian Wood, who seems to have excelled in everything, and I mean everything, that he's previously written by presenting the reader with emotionally-riveting and realistic stories on the human condition. It's just so unexpected to see his writing stumble so badly in this instance. On the plus side, I guess it just shows that he's as human as the rest of us and is bound to trip-up once in awhile. On the negative side, it reaffirms for me the downside of the creator-owned concept of comic book publishing. Once in awhile the occasional dud will shove a more deserving concept out of the way, as a publisher gambles that fans of an acclaimed creator will accept even said creator's flawed, D-list ideas and products. I've called this the "Stan Lee effect" in previous reviews and also chided Alan Moore and Warren Ellis for taking this occasional marketing misstep, with Brian Wood now joining this growing list.
But enough venting about this disappointment. To summarize: avoid this unentertaining, stiff failure of a comic book concept and instead enjoy Brian Wood at his best with any of the other many Brian Wood-scripted comic book titles, all available on the new issue shelves and in the back issue comic book bins at That's Entertainment.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Jim Starlin & Chris Batista: Writers
Chris Batista: Pencils
Chip Wallace: Inks
Marvel Comics has recently re-booted its out-of-print Spaceknights comic book concept with a new 3-issue limited series. Since all three issues are currently on the That's Entertainment new issues shelves, I decided to review issue #1 to get a feel for this series from its beginning. Spaceknights was created in 1979 as a tie-in for the Parker Brothers launch of their Rom, Spaceknight action figure toy. Baby boomers may also recall the ROM comic book title of that era. The Spaceknights are good cyborg warriors from the planet Galador who protect the universe fom the evil Dire Wraiths. Much of the Spaceknights storyverse, from the names of individual spaceknights to the plot stylings, is a science fiction updating of the fictional tale of Camelot. This latest Spaceknights series is scripted by A-list veteran writer Jim Starlin in partnership with Chris Batista, with art by Chris Batista and inks by Chip Wallace.
Issue #1 actually presents two story segments in this multi-issue story arc, each of which could standalone as a full-length comic book issue. This storyverse introduces readers to a new, younger generation of Spaceknights. Two subplots interweave throughout the twin tales. When Galador's leader The Prime Director is killed in off-world battle, its up to his oldest son Balin to gather-up the younger generation of new Spaceknights and go off to battle the bad aliens. Through the journey to the off-world battle site and the early stages of the fight itself, we're introduced to a few older generation holdovers from previous Spaceknight comics along with the large group of young rookies. A second subplot interweaves political intrigue and family strife into the storyline. We learn that Balin is a nasty, cocky jerk who is rapidly failing as a new young leader of both his friends and his society, while his nicer young brother Tristan embodies the true values for which the Spaceknights crave for a leader. There's also a strong political thriller element in this storyline, as its revealed that a trusted advisor to the Galador royal family is the deceitful mastermind behind the off-world strife, with the goal of destroying the royal family and becoming the new dictatorial ruler of Galador. These sub-plot details all come together in a climactic battle scene in which a key Spaceknight is killed and good guy Tristan is blamed by the entire group for not saving his warrior partner's life.
This is a pretty decent comic book return for this 1980's-era comic book series. There's more storytelling substance to this multi-issue tale than one might expect for a storyverse based on a line of action figure toys. Veteran writer Jim Starlin brings his skill and experience to the task by crafting a tale that's rich with the mix of action-adventure, political intrigue and personal relationship soap opera details for which the Arthurian legend stories are well-known for. I particularly liked the depth of character development of the Spaceknights as well as their personal interactions with each other. There are enough elements of romance, personality conflicts and shifting policial alliances packed into this extra-length comic book to script half a season of a television soap opera or thriller series. Specific elements of the Arthurian legend are also nicely incorporated into this science fiction storyline, including an updating of the King Arthur sword-in-the-stone challenge, which I won't spoil with any review details.
I also liked the mixing into the tale
of two key characters from the previous
generation of Spaceknights, now
middle-aged in this title re-boot. Earth
girl Brandy Clark is the older,
now-widowed ruler of Galador, struggling
to lead her people in the interplanetary
crisis, while Spaceknight Val/Sentry is a
wise mentor to the young newbies, also
struggling to contain the recklessness of
emerging young leader Balin. On a final
review note, there's a minor but
interesting story element throughout issue
#1 of Galador's leader Brandy Clark facing
growing prejudice from her people due to
her roots as a native of Earth. It
introduces the real world issue of
discrimination into this science fiction
storyverse and it should be interesting to
see how the creative team explores this
subject as the series progresses.
So a well-deserved positive review
recommendation for this return of a fan
favorite galactic adventuring series that
blends old King Arthur fable elements with
modern-day galactic science fiction
storytelling. And we're certainly getting
our money's worth with a comic book that
packs two full-length story segments into
each issue for the standard price of a
one-story comic book. So get on down to
That's Entertainment and enjoy this
double-story comic for the price of one!
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Dan Didio & J.M. Dematteis: Writers
Brent Anderson: Pencils
Philip Tan & Rob Hunter: Inks
Ulises Arreola: Colors
DC Comics is up to issue #4 of its Phantom Stranger re-boot within "The New 52" storyverse event. This past September, I wrote a positive review of issue #0 in this series, which creatively filled-in some origin elements for DC's magical man of mystery, establishing his biblical origin as Judas Iscariot, having been sentenced by a Council of Wizards along with the fabled character Pandora to walk the Earth trying to make amends for their past sins. This series also assigns the Stranger with blame for the origins of The Spectre, thereby making the two character's arch enemies of each other. The current title is scripted by veteran A-list writer Dan Didio in partnership with J.M. Dematteis with pencils by Brent Anderson, inks by Philip Tan and Rob Hunter, and colors by Ulises Arreola.
The issue #4 story segment is entitled "Abduction" and pits the Stranger against the Justice League Dark. The plot begins the Stranger living a surprising secret lifestyle as a suburban husband and dad to two small children. On a routine mall shopping trip with his wife, he's abducted to a meeting with the aforementioned Justice League Dark. The bulk of the issue details a lengthy, mostly verbal confrontation between our hero and the League, in which League leader John Constantine pulls out all the stops in trying to get the Starnger to join the League in their latest mission against big bad evil doings. Without being a detail spoiler, after the unsuccessful recruitment effort, the Stranger returns to his secret life to find his family abducted out of the timestream. The issue ends in a very dramatic bridge to next month's story segment, as Pandora arrives and claims that the abduction is The Spectre's latest move against the duo.
This is one of the better of the many New 52 titles currently out on the new issues shelves. Led by veteran writer Dan Didio, the creative team succeeds in all regards with this tale, including beautiful artwork, an interesting plot and entertaining story details. Four story elements most intrigued me in this issue. The first is the "take-no-prisoners" personality of League leader Constantine, who plays a sharp and deadly verbal game with the Stranger in his recruitment effort, resulting in some twists that are sure to pit this tough pair against each other again very soon in this storyline. Secondly, I enjoyed reading of the unexpected domestic side of the Stranger, in which he attempts to regain a semblance of a normal human life with his secret family. I haven't been a regular reader of this title so I don't know about previous developments in this sub-plot, but the future possibilities of this storythread could hold some major storytelling potential. Third, the cameos of among all of the various Justice League Dark members are both interesting and well-balanced in the space of a one-issue story segment.
The fourth and final noteworthy story element is the bigger plotline here, that of the growing storm of confrontation pitting The Phantom Stranger and Pandora versus the omni-powerful Spectre. The creative team is building a steady level of tension as the clouds gather for this upcoming mystical war, with the stakes and hatred ratcheting upward with the kidnapping of the Stranger's innocent family members. All in all, this title is currently presenting a very interesting and potentially significant new line of fictional history within the DC storyverse. So my review advice is to check-out the current issue #4, then do what I plan to do and backtrack to the previous issues before heading deeper into this storyline with upcoming monthly issues of The Phantom Stranger.
Contest Winner Announcement!!!
Our latest contest challenged you to
e-mail us with your proposal for a wacky
pair-up of two dissimilar comic book
characters, along the lines of the recent
Mars Attacks Popeye comic book. My
example suggestion was Deadpool versus My
Little Pony (yeesh!). And our contest
winner is (drumroll, please)...Gregory
Goding, who offers-up the idea of pitting
JarJar Binks against Sauron. Gregory
tells us "JarJar is annoying, never shuts
up and looks like he would make a
hilarious squishing sound if hit with a
large blunt object. Sauron is more the
strong, silent ultimate badass who wields
large blunt objects. I think it has
potential." Here's hoping that we all get
to see the annoying JarJar Binks get his
due in Gregory's dream comic book
match-up. Congrats to Gregory who wins
our first prize $10.00 gift certificate to
That's Entertainment!
New Contest Challenge Announcement!!!
The Bongo Congo panel of contest judges have decreed that we offer-up to you this week the following television trivia question. Your challenge is to e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com no later than Wednesday, February 6 with the answer to the following question: What 1950's television Western series star is a direct descendent of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone? In the event of multiple correct entries, our contest winner will be chosen via a roll of the dice from among the correct entries. Please note that our first prize $10.00 gift certificate to That's Entertainment is redeemable for regular retail merchandise or in-store on-going specials, only.
That's all for now, so have two great NHL-watching (welcome back, Bruins!) and comic book reading weeks and see you again on Friday, February 8 Here In Bongo Congo! |